Reference Atlas

Question 1

archipelago

Answer 1

a group of islands

Question 2

basin

Answer 2

an area of land drained by a given river and its branches; area of land surrounded by lands of higher elevations

Question 3

channel

Answer 3

wide strait or waterway between two landmasses that lie close to each other; deep part of a river or other waterway

Question 4

delta

Answer 4

flat, low-lying land built up from soil carried downstream by a river and deposited at its mouth

Question 5

downstream

Answer 5

direction in which a river or stream flows from its source to its mouth

Question 6

escarpment

Answer 6

steep cliff or slope between a higher and lower land surface

Question 7

gulf

Answer 7

part of a large body of water that extends into a shoreline, generally larger and more deeply indented than a bay

Question 8

harbor

Answer 8

a sheltered place along a shoreline where ships can anchor safely

Question 9

highland

Answer 9

elevated land area such as a hill, mountain, or plateau

Question 10

isthmus

Answer 10

narrow stretch of land connecting two larger land areas

Question 11

lowland

Answer 11

land, usually level, at a low elevation

Question 12

mesa

Answer 12

broad, flat-topped landform with steep sides; smaller than a plateau

Question 13

mouth

Answer 13

(of a river) place where a stream or river flows into a larger body of water

Question 14

oasis

Answer 14

small area in a desert where water and vegetation are found

Question 15

ocean current

Answer 15

stream of either cold or warm water that moves in a definite direction through an ocean

Question 16

peninsula

Answer 16

body of land jutting into a lake or ocean, surrounded on three sides by water

Question 17

physical feature

Answer 17

characteristic of a place occurring naturally, such as a landform, body of water, climate pattern, or resource

Question 18

plain

Answer 18

area of level land, usually at low elevation and often covered with grasses

Question 19

plateau

Answer 19

area of flat or rolling land at a high elevation, about 300 to 3,000 feet (90 to 900 m) high

Question 20

seacoast

Answer 20

land lying next to a sea or an ocean

Question 20

river

Answer 20

large natural stream of water that runs through the land

Question 21

sound

Answer 21

broad inland body of water, often between a coastline and one or more islands off the coast

Question 22

source

Answer 22

(of a river) place where a river or stream begins, often in highlands

Question 23

strait

Answer 23

narrow stretch of water joining two larger bodies of water

Question 24

tributary

Answer 24

small river or stream that flows into a large river or stream; a branch of the river

Question 25

upstream

Answer 25

direction opposite the flow of a river; toward the source of a river or stream